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Neil Duff wins the World Darts Federation Championship 2022

Neil Duff during the finals of the 2022 World Darts Federation Championship at Lakeside, Frimley Green, United Kingdom on 10 April 2022.

Neil Duff overcame a slow start to defeat Thibault Tricole in an 11-set thriller to win the 2022 WDF Men’s World Championship at Lakeside.

‘The Duffman’ had been the more impressive player, statistically speaking, going into the final but he made a slow start, averaging just 76 as he dropped the first two sets without winning a leg.

He stopped the rot in the third, nicking it 3-1 and halving the deficit after Tricole had missed a dart to take out 112 and level the set.

Tricole was able to re-establish his two set cushion by taking the fourth 3-0 before Duff finally found his range, winning three on the spin to make it 4-3 and move into the lead for the first time.

Duff produced 11 and 12-darters in the eighth set, the latter ending with a brilliant 121 finish, but couldn’t take it out, Tricole holding in 13 to make it all-square going into the final break.

Duff, the first Northern Irish player to contest a World Championship final, produced a brilliant three-leg burst, including a 111 checkout, to win the ninth set from 2-0 down and go 5-4 up and within one of victory.

‘The French Touch’, who’d survived eight match darts earlier in the week, wouldn’t go away without a fight though, forcing a deciding set by comfortably winning the tenth 3-0.

He couldn’t maintain that standard in the final set though, going 2-0 down before missing a dart at double 12 to keep his title hopes alive. Duff, like he has all week, pounced, hitting tops at the second attempt to take out 50 for the title.

Now the WDF World No.1, Duff finished with an 87.73 average and six 180s. Tricole, who was the first Frenchman to play in a televised darts final, also threw six maximums and ended with an 86.95 average.

2022 Heineken Cup Rugby – Connacht v Leinster – Starting Teams

It’s Champions Cup rugby and we have the starting teams for Connacht v Leinster, TV Coverage on BT sports for the 8 pm kick-off.

A capacity crowd is expected to be in attendance for Connacht’s first appearance in the Champions Cup knockout stages, and Head Coach Andy Friend is able to welcome back a number of key players just in time for the occasion.

British & Irish Lion Bundee Aki returns for his first appearance since before the Six Nations, while there’s also a first start of the season for Gavin Thornbury after an impressive cameo off the bench last weekend following an 11 month absence.

The third and final change is the inclusion of club captain Jarrad Butler after missing the win over Benetton through injury.

He forms a back row with flankers Cian Prendergast and Conor Oliver, while Leva Fifita partners Thornbury. The front row of Matthew Burke, Dave Heffernan and Finlay Bealham is unchanged.

Match captain Jack Carty starts at 10 beside Kieran Marmion, while Aki will have Tom Farrell for company at outside centre. A back three of full-back Tiernan O’Halloran and wingers Mack Hansen and John Porch completes the side.

Commenting on the team announcement, Andy Friend says:

“There’s a huge sense of excitement among all the players and management for tomorrow night. These are the type of games you want to be involved in, and with a capacity crowd behind us it’s going to be a great occasion and one we firmly believe we can win.

We have over 45 players training between our Pros and integrated Academy players so that’s a great place to be at this stage of the season, and it’s given the coaches some headaches for our squad selection as well.”

Leinster Team News

Having integrated some of the returning internationals into the lineup for last weekend’s win at Thomond Park, Cullen has added captain Johnny Sexton into the matchday squad this week.

The St Mary’s College man will be joined in the half-backs by Luke McGrath, playing inside the same back line that started against Munster.

Hugo Keenan remains at full-back with Jimmy O’Brien, scorer of four tries in Leinster’s last European outing, and James Lowe on the wings.

Garry Ringrose once again partners Robbie Henshaw in midfield.

In the pack, Cullen has made wholesale changes to the front five with Cian Healy, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Ross Molony and Josh Murphy coming in.

Behind them, the back row of Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan goes unchanged.

The replacements bench contains James Tracy, Ed Byrne, Michael Ala’alatoa, Devin Toner, Max Deegan, Jamison Gibson-Park, Ross Byrne and Ciarán Frawley.

CONNACHT RUGBY MATCHDAY 23 

Friday 8th April, 20:00 @ The Sportsground

Number/Name/Caps
15. Tiernan O’Halloran (203)
14. John Porch (54)
13. Tom Farrell (75)
12. Bundee Aki (115)
11. Mack Hansen (10)
10. Jack Carty (175) (C)
9. Kieran Marmion (204)
1. Matthew Burke (36)
2. Dave Heffernan (160)
3. Finlay Bealham (170)
4. Gavin Thornbury (59)
5. Leva Fifita (11)
6. Cian Prendergast (26)
7. Conor Oliver (37)
8. Jarrad Butler (91)

Replacements
16. Dylan Tierney-Martin (2)
17. Tietie Tuimauga (9)
18. Jack Aungier (27)
19. Oisín Dowling (21)
20. Abraham Papali’i (22)
21. Caolin Blade (146)
22. Conor Fitzgerald (48)
23. Sammy Arnold (35)

Leinster Rugby team v Connacht (appearances in brackets):

15. Hugo Keenan (39)
14. Jimmy O’Brien (46)
13. Garry Ringrose (95)
12. Robbie Henshaw (61)
11. James Lowe (60)
10. Johnny Sexton CAPTAIN (178)
9. Luke McGrath (168)

1. Cian Healy (242)
2. Dan Sheehan (22)
3. Tadhg Furlong (120)
4. Ross Molony (132)
5. Josh Murphy (56)
6. Caelan Doris (48)
7. Josh van der Flier (107)
8. Jack Conan (110)

Replacements: 

16. James Tracy (140)
17. Ed Byrne (81)
18. Michael Ala’alatoa (17)
19. Devin Toner (277)
20. Max Deegan (81)
21. Jamison Gibson-Park (109)
22. Ross Byrne (121)
23. Ciarán Frawley (48)

Referee – Karl Dickson (RFU)

Six riders to represent Ireland at opening round of UCI Track Nations Cup

The first round of the UCI Track Nations Cup takes place in Glasgow at the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome from April 21 to 24. The event marks the beginning of a new chapter as Ireland’s track cyclists return to top-level competition and continue their preparation for much anticipated European Championships in Munich and World Championships in Paris in October. Securing a berth at the 2022 World Track Championships will be a major goal this season as athletes will have the opportunity to gain experience ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games to be held in Paris.

 

Ireland will be represented at the Glasgow UCI Track Nations Cup by Emily Kay, Alice Sharpe, Mia Griffin, Kelly Murphy and JB Murphy competing in a range of endurance events. Conor Rowley has secured his first call up to Irish Cycling Team and will compete in the Keirin and Sprint events in Glasgow.

 

A new name for many, Australian-born Rowley qualifies to ride for Ireland through his mother Geraldine McNamara who hails from Kilrush in County Clare and moved to Australia in her twenties. Rowley, who turns 24 today (Thursday) is a former Junior World Champion in the Keirin and has demonstrated his ability at the senior elite level having travelled with the support of his family to races around Europe and Australia over the past 12-months.

 

After an extended period in lockdown in Australia Rowley travelled to Dublin for the Track National Championships in August of last year. He then moved to Palma to intensify his training and achieved several notable results in Europe including 2nd and 5th at the Troféu Internacional de Pista in Portugal and 4th and 5th at the Troféu Internacional de Pista in Barcelona. Rowley took another step forward in February when he recorded a time of 9.969 in the flying 200 at the Victorian State Championships along with a slew of top 10 finishes at UCI Class 2 level competition. 

 

Conor Rowley commented on his selection:

“I am so proud and excited to be given the opportunity to represent Ireland for the first time at the Nations Cup in Glasgow.

 

“With my mother being Irish and having travelled to Ireland many times while growing up, I’ve always felt connected to Ireland and aspired to one day represent Ireland on the big stage. To see how elated my Mum was when she heard I was going to represent Ireland was incredible and I can’t wait for her to be able to see me race in the Irish kit.”

 

“So many years of hard work and dedication have gone into getting to this point and to finally be given an opportunity at this level is incredibly exciting.”

 

Newly appointed High-Performance Director, Iain Dyer said:

“The whole team is looking forward to Glasgow Nations Cup. After an unusual Covid affected season last year, it feels that we’re all finally embarking on the new look UCI track season now.”

 

“Glasgow always puts on a great event, so it’s a good one to start with as we aim to build through the year towards European Championships in Munich in August, and World Championships in Paris in October.”

 

The riders will use the Class 1 Belgium Open Track Meeting in Gent as preparation for Glasgow and will be joined by Orla Walsh who specialises in the Keirin and Sprint events. Walsh set several new Irish Records outdoors at the 2021 Track National Championships in Sundrive and has spent time preparing for the 2022 season at the UCI World Cycling Centre in Switzerland.

Our Favourite 10 Female Athletes of All Time

There are so many female athletes that have changed to course of just about every sport that it’s hard to pick just 10. However, here are just a few of the inspiring women who we can’t ignore for their exceptional contribution to sports and their immeasurable impact both on and off the field.

  • Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph was the first American woman of color to win three gold medals for sprinting in a single Olympics. Rudolph had had polio since she was five years old, but she did not let that stop her – she turned her weakness into strength and became the fastest woman in the world at the 1960 Olympics.

She immediately gained international recognition for not only her performance, but also her exceptional courage. She is an iconic figure and a true inspiration for all  black and female athletes striving to make their mark on the sport.  

  • Hilary Knight

A top star of women’s ice hockey, Hilary Knight is a nine-time world championship medalist and a three-time Olympic medalist. She also led the USA Team to a gold victory at the PyeongChang Games in 2018, the team’s first Olympic victory in 20 years. Since then, she has dedicated herself to creating a sustainable, unified, and professional women’s hockey league to encourage more women to get involved. 

  • Emma Raducanu

Emma Raducanu is a British tennis player who was born in Toronto, Canada but went to school in London. She made her professional debut in this male-dominated sport in 2018. As a 16-year-old amateur player, but she managed to be selected for playing at Wimbledon where she defeated the great Leylah Fernandez and began her professional career. 

From this stellar start, her journey went from strength to strength. More recently, she entered the 2022 US Open as a qualifier and managed to make it all the way to the finals of the most-awaited tournament.

  • Michelle Akers

One of the best athletes of all time, Michelle Akers is known for her resilience, faith, leadership, and perseverance. She was an athlete ahead of her time who dominated American female soccer with her strength and immaculate skills. She was a leading scorer in the inaugural FIFA Women’s World Cup, scoring 10 goals in only six matches.

  • Ronda Rousey

Ronda Rousey is a professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. She is the only woman to win both WWE and UFC championships and headline a pay-per-view event. Rousey is also a proud writer of an autobiography, and she has starred in several popular films including “Mile 22” and “Furious 7”. 

  • Nancy Lopez

The great golf player, Nancy Lopez, left college in her sophomore year to pursue her passion for golf and turned it into a successful career. She won nine tournaments during her first season as an amateur player and was named the LPGA Rookie of the Year and Payer of the Year. She also won the Vare Trophy that is awarded to skilled and seasoned players with the lowest scoring average for the season. She is the only female golfer to achieve all three prestigious awards in the same season.

  • Lindsey Vonn

Lindsey Vonn is one of the only two female skiers in the world who has won four World Cup overall championships. She has three consecutive winning titles from 2008 to 2010 and then another in 2012. In 2010 she participated in the Winter Olympics and was crowned as the first American woman to win a gold medal in the downhill skiing category. Lindsay is one of the greatest skiers of all time and besides numerous victories and gold medals, she is an ultimate champion and open advocate of “Girl Power”! 

  • Serena Williams

Everybody knows that Serena Williams the epitome of resilience and strength. She is regarded as one of the greatest female tennis players of all time and her unmatchable victories have turned her into an inspirational sports icon. In 2019, she made it to the Forbes list of the world’s highest-paid athletes as the only woman. Serena holds multiple accolades – she has more “Grand Slam” titles in singles, doubles, and mixed doubles combined than all other active players. 

  • Maya Moore 

Maya Moore is a four-time winner of WNBA titles and the WNBA Rookie of the Year Award. The highlight of her career is her unbeatable streak of 90 games with the Huskies in a prestigious NCAA record across all men and women’s teams. She has also won numerous notable titles in the Euro League, Chinese League, and Spanish League. 

  • Simone Biles

A four-time world all-round champion, Simone Biles is an American gymnast who has won a number of all-around, vault, and floor gold medals at the Olympics. She is one of the most decorated gymnasts who has set the US record for winning the most gold medals for gymnastics at a single Olympics.

Wrapping Up

Our favorite female athletes are physically strong, mentally powerful, and truly inspirational. These women fight hard and smash all barriers for equality and by shattering the glass ceiling, they have become cultural game-changers. 

It’s time you elevated your betting!

So, you enjoy a flutter on the weekend football but you don’t seem to be very successful – like many of us. Whilst sports betting is rarely seen as income, but rather a hobby, there are some ways to improve your financial success. Here are some of the main tips on how to elevate your betting game, starting with some help from Match.Center.

 

Promotions + Having Multiple Accounts

So, we kick off with a double tip that marries together: have multiple betting accounts. The benefits of this are numerous, but first and foremost this is a way to make the most of promotions. As seen in the Match.Center page, almost every betting company has its own promotional offers and they often revolve around signing up. Given that there’s no downside to having multiple accounts, make use of all the promotional offers that you can for some free value/free bets.

 

But, it’s also important beyond just the promotions. Having multiple accounts means that you can opt for the company that is offering the best odds for the bet you want to make. Make sure to double-check your bet across multiple sites.

 

Single bets and underdogs

Generally, the more bets we make, the more we are relying on luck and randomness. Yet, as we know, this is where the bookies have an edge over us. Where we can gain our edge is with very specific knowledge in certain situations. For example, most people who bet on UFC when Conor McGregor are likely to be casuals who only watch the sports when Conor is on. This can sway the odds in his favour because of his popularity.

 

This is a situation where you may find the underdog on a single bet to be great value. Because it’s just one bet, there’s less randomness involved, and more chance that your better-than-average knowledge is going to pay dividends.

 

Live bets and timing

Live bets are another way that the previous point can be capitalised on. For example, watching a game of football in which a team is winning, but clearly looks like they’re struggling to keep hold of the lead, may be a situation where the odds on a draw are favourable. Live betting opens up a tonne of new betting scenarios.

 

The opposite of live betting would be to bet way in advance of an event. This is where things get interesting. If we go back to the Conor McGregor example, it’s common that the fan-favourite will begin trading at more rational odds, until floods of people begin placing bets on that fan-favourite. This will change the odds, making them shorter, and in turn making the underdog odds more profitable over time. So, if you want to bet on the fan-favourite, you may want to get in there as early as possible, whilst the underdog may become better odds over time.

 

Know when to stop

Knowing when to stop isn’t just about managing your losses, but it’s also about managing your wins. If you can cash out for €2000 on your €10 bet, waiting around for the full payout of €5000 may be reckless. Generally, cashing out is worse value and a way for the bookies to reduce your winnings, but it can often be worth it in the event of large winnings from a small bet – it would make less sense for a large, single bet on the fan-favourite, though.

Free money or a trap? Get to know all about betting bonuses before putting your hands on them!

One of the main things you notice when looking to sign up for a betting company is all the betting sites offers. It’s no exaggeration to say that almost every betting company will have its own promotional offers, meaning that we often have multiple accounts set up at various companies.

 

But, are the bonuses all that? Let’s take a look at some of the common terms we find.

 

New Customer Sign Up Bonus

The most common one we see is betting sites with welcome bonus, so we will focus on that. So, often it will be if you bet $/£/€ 10, you will receive $/£/€ 30 in free bets – or something along those lines.

 

These are great bonuses that should be used, because why not? Even though they usually have caveats, you’re still ending up in a better position than if you do not use them.

 

The common caveats are often that the €10 bet you place must be over 2.0 (evens) in odds. So, you cannot bet on an ultra-favourite who is 1/4, for example. An evens bet of 1/1 means there’s roughly half a chance of winning, half a chance of losing.

 

Another caveat that is often involved is that it must be a single bet, not 10x bets of €1 each. Besides some time restrictions, that’s roughly it for restrictions for the initial bet. However, there are some caveats for the free bet that you receive – which also often apply for the deposit -> free bet bonuses too.

 

Generally, the free bet is a single bet that must be placed and cannot be divided up. It’s rare that there are minimum odds applied to this one, but it is possible. You will likely not receive the stake back in this bet, meaning an evens (1/1) bet with a €30 stake would mean you get back €30 instead of the usual €60 – so you only get the winnings.

 

Finally, although it’s not always the case at sports betting companies, with casino companies its very common for signup bonus money (i.e. deposit €10 to receive €30) to be required to be bet a certain amount of times over before you can withdraw it. For example, if it requires you to bet 3 times the total amount, it would mean €90 worth of bets must be made within this account in order to access the money for withdrawal. Thankfully, these bets can usually be fragmented and divided up, with the betting platform keeping track.

 

Random free bets

When you are already signed up to a betting account and they offer a free bet, it’s often no-strings-attached. SkyBet was common for handing out small, free bets that didn’t require a deposit, nor did it require you to bet the winnings. However, you have to ultimately check the terms and conditions laid out for each and every bet.

 

Stick with companies with clear T&Cs

Many of us skip past T&Cs when signing up to services, apps, and websites – it’s normal. However, betting bonuses are the one platform where they know that the customer is more likely to read them, because it’s highly relevant to the reason why you’re signing up, and many companies go out their way to make them clear and larger font. So, there are no excuses for not reading them, and it would be considered a major red flag if the platform in question is using verbose, overly long, difficult to read T&Cs!

Aintree Grand National : Going now Good, Good to Soft in places

The going description on all courses at Aintree (Hurdle, Mildmay and Grand National) was today changed to Good, Good to Soft in places (from Good to Soft) ahead of the Randox Grand National Festival (Thursday 7th April to Saturday 9th April inclusive).

Watering will now take place on the Grand National course today, with 4 to 5mm of irrigation being applied.

Aintree’s Clerk of the Course Sulekha Varma explained at 4.00pm today: “We were forecast showers last night but in the end we only received 0.5mm of rain. That coupled with a dry and windy day today has seen the ground dry out and we are now Good, Good to Soft in places on all three courses.

“We have taken the decision to water just the Grand National course today and we will put down 4 to 5 millimetres of irrigation.

“The watering should hopefully take the Grand National course back to Good to Soft. We will check again in the morning before making any decisions on further watering. As always, our aim at Aintree is always to produce the best possible racing surface and we will continue to constantly monitor the situation and react appropriately.”

Watch video highlights of Roscommon beating Galway in league final

Roscommon held to beat Galway in the division 2 league final. We have video highlights of the match.

ROSCOMMON 1-20 GALWAY 0-22

Goal by Roscommon substitute Diarmuid Murtagh proved decisive in this hard-fought Allianz Football League Division 2 Final.

Scorers for Roscommon: Donie Smith 0-5 (2f), Conor Cox 0-5 (4f), Diarmuid Murtagh 1-1, Ciaráin Murtagh 0-4 (1f), Cian McKeon 0-2, Eddie Nolan 0-2 (1f, 1’45), Keith Doyle 0-1

Scorers for Galway: Paul Conroy 0-6, Damien Comer 0-4, Robert Finnerty 0-4 (3f), Matthew Tierney 0-2, Dessie Conneely 0-2, Sean Kelly 0-1, Shane Walsh 0-1, Finnian O’Laoi 0-1, Johnny Heaney 0-1

ROSCOMMON: Colm Lavin; David Murray, Brian stack, Eoin McCormack; Niall Kilroy, Niall Daly, Ronan Daly; Ultan Harney, Eddie Nolan; Ciarain Murtagh, Enda Smith, Cathal Heneghan; Cian McKeon, Donie Smith, Conor Cox. Subs: Keith Doyle for Cian McKeon (60), Diarmuid Murtagh for Conor Cox (64), Andrew Glennon for Donie Smith (68), Conor Hussey for Cathal Heneghan (75)

GALWAY: Conor Flaherty; Jack Glynn, Kieran Molloy, Liam Silke; Sean Fitzgerald, John Daly, Finnian O’Laoi; Sean Kelly, Paul Conroy; Matthew Tierney, Niall Daly, Johnny Heaney; Robert Finnerty, Damien Comer, Dessie Conneely. Subs: Shane Walsh for Jack Glynn, Johnny McGrath for John Daly (both 48), Connor Gleeson for Conor Flaherty (52), James McLoughlin for Niall Daly (53), Ton Gill for Finnian Ó Laoi (64), Patrick Kelly for Robert Finnerty (69)

Ref: Niall Cullen (Fermanagh)

 

Ireland nab Marquand in Racing League jockey draft

Tom Marquand will represent Ireland in Racing League 2022 having been the first pick at this morning’s jockey draft at Doncaster Racecourse.

A total of 108 jockeys signed up for the inaugural draft, with the seven team managers each selecting seven riders in a pre-agreed order to ensure a fair allocation.

Each region will have at least one G1-winning rider, with notable picks including Frankie Dettori for Wales and The West, Jamie Spencer for The North and last year’s leading jockey Jack Mitchell for The East.

Ireland – Kevin Blake
Tom Marquand
Rossa Ryan
Jason Watson
Tyler Heard
Dylan Browne McMonagle
Gavin Ryan
Billy Lee

Yorkshire – Leonna Mayor
Paul Mulrennan
David Allan
Oisin McSweeney
Joanna Mason
Cam Hardie
William Carver
Dougie Costello

The East – Rupert Bell
Jack Mitchell
Hayley Turner
Kieran Shoemark
Grace McEntee
Luke Morris
Ray Dawson
Cameron Noble

Wales and The West – Jamie Osborne
David Egan
Saffie Osborne
Adam Kirby
Frankie Dettori
Callum Shepherd
Neil Callan
Clifford Lee

Scotland – Linda Perratt
Kevin Stott
Ryan Sexton
Andrew Mullen
Ben Curtis
Rowan Scott
Graham Lee
James Sullivan

The North – Mick Quinn
Jamie Spencer
Paul Hanagan
Ben Robinson
Connor Beasley
Harrison Shaw
Pat Cosgrave
Lewis Edmunds

London and The South – Matt Chapman
Nicola Currie
Sean Levey
Laura Pearson
Marco Ghiani
Daniel Muscutt
Louis Steward
Eoin Walsh

Ireland team manager Kevin Blake said: “I am really happy. Six out of the seven were selections I thought I might get and the exception to that I am very happy with. It is a nice mix of British-based and Irish-based jockeys, with some of the top lads in Ireland keen to support the concept. Gavin Ryan and Dylan Browne McMonagle rode in the Racing League last year and were very keen to be involved again, as was Billy Lee. It will be great to get them over alongside the British-based jockeys headed by Tom Marquand, who was obviously the number one pick.”

Rupert Bell, team manager for The East, said: “That was great fun to do. I am delighted as I got most of what I wanted. I kicked off with Jack Mitchell as he was the star of the show last year, helping team talkSPORT win. We have Hayley Turner, Grace McEntee and Luke Morris – some very reliable jockeys who will do our team proud.”

Scotland team manager Linda Perratt said: “I am delighted with my picks. One or two of them were away early, so we kicked on the best we could. I think we have some really good jockeys and some lovely trainers with nice horses. Hopefully, they will be pleased with the picks!”
For more information, please visit www.racingleague.uk.

Classic clues aplenty on Ballylinch Stud Trials Day

Following a fascinating season of jumping action at Leopardstown, attention turns to the Flat and some Classic contenders will announce their credentials in Foxrock this weekend with the Ballylinch Stud 2,000 and 1,000 Guineas Trials and the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes.

Shape will be put on the new season in rapid time as just seven days into the new season clues for some of the biggest prizes in the sport will be on offer with Dermot Weld hopeful of representation in each of the major races this weekend.

The Ger Lyons-trained Group 1 runner-up Dr Zempf, who holds an entry in both the English and Irish 2,000 Guineas, heads the potential field for the listed Ballylinch Stud Red Rocks 2,000 Guineas Trial. Both races look like playing Roulette on bestnewzealandcasinos.com as it’s difficult to be confident of a winner.

The son of Dark Angel was narrowly touched off in the Keeneland Phoenix Stakes last year and looks an exciting colt to mix it in some of the big races this year for Lyons, who has a strong hand on the day.

Impressive Naas maiden winner Pearle D’or is a Moyglare homebred who opened his account last October on his only start and he is one of a dozen entries for the first of Saturday’s three trial races.

Opposition to Weld’s son of Starspangledbanner includes five colts who have earned a rating of at least 100, among them course and distance winner Glounthaune who triumphed in the Killavullan Stakes for Aidan O’Brien last term.

“Glounthaune is going very well and showing plenty of pace,” said the trainer.
“America (Breeders’ Cup) was probably too quick for him, Ryan said he couldn’t get him organised and he was too green on the track but he’s going well. We were playing catch-up all last season, he’s a big horse, but he could be one for the French Guineas.”
In the Group 3 Ballylinch Stud Priory Belle 1,000 Guineas Trial Homeless Songs could be the Weld-trained and Moyglare-owned representative. The filly won her maiden at Leopardstown on debut and ran well in the Killavullan behind the aforementioned Glounthaune.

The Group 2 Debutante Stakes and Group 1 Moyglare Stud runner-up Agartha leads a strong potential team for trainer Joseph O’Brien and the 1,000 Guineas Trial is full of depth with the Ger Lyons-trained duo of Panama Red and Sacred Bridge on course to begin their campaign, while Aidan O’Brien could potentially give regally bred Only her competitive debut.

Speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Weld said: “The present plan would be to run Duke The Sessa in the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes and Home Of Songs in the Ballylinch Stud 1000 Guineas Trial.

“They have both come through the winter nicely after doing well as two-year-olds and they will both progress for their first run too.
“At this stage, I’m happy with both horses and they would be definite runners at this stage, ground permitting.

Duke De Sessa is one of 12 entries for the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes. The Leopardstown winner has the option of an Irish 2,000 Guineas tilt or either the English or Irish Derby as do many of Saturday’s potential rivals.

A very strong selection of entries for Ger Lyons this weekend is complimented by the unbeaten Atomic Jones who added to his Curragh maiden winner by scoring in the Group 2 KPMG Champion Juvenile Stakes on Irish Champions Weekend. Atomic Jones will now carry the globally familiar colours of the Beauty Stable partnership this weekend having been sold following that Leopardstown win.

Aidan O’Brien’s quest for a fifth straight win in the P.W. McGrath Memorial Ballysax Stakes is likely to be spearheaded by Bluegrass who is joined by stable companions Scriptwriter and Temple Of Artemis.

“Bluegrass might run in the Ballysax. He was just a bit green at Newmarket, it took a while for the penny to drop, he has a lazy way of going. He didn’t run too bad in the Zetland after never travelling. Newmarket can be like that if you don’t know your job,” said the champion trainer.

Both of O’Brien’s sons, Joseph and Donnacha will be keeping their father up to the task in this Group 3 however. Joseph could saddle the Galway maiden winner Buckaroo, while Donnacha’s Eyrefield Stakes runner-up Piz Badile is an interesting contender on what promises to be a brilliant day of Flat racing.

Click here for full entries for Ballylinch Stud Trials Day

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